


Little Promises

by QueenHendric



Category: The Witcher (TV), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angst, Im bad at summaries, M/M, geralt is bad at communicating, hurt no comfort i guess, no beta we die as illiterate people
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-16
Updated: 2020-01-16
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:35:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22282723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenHendric/pseuds/QueenHendric
Summary: The worst nightmares are those that are real.
Relationships: Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion
Comments: 13
Kudos: 106
Collections: Interesting Character and/or Interesting Relationship Development





	Little Promises

**Author's Note:**

> So, hi!  
> This is my first fanfiction ever that I posted in another language that my mother one and I hadn't been writing in ages, so if you be kind I would really appreciate.  
> And yes, no beta. I'm still looking for one.

The first time that happens, they – Geralt, Ciri and Jaskier – are on inn at a small town in north. They had been avoiding towns with Ciri, but this place most of people would ignore them, too busy trying to survive. It’s late night, moon high at sky and Geralt is sleeping, but he keeps his ears open just in case. He is listening. He is used to sounds of nightmares; they are many back Kaer Morhen. Fussing over, deep breaths, heart racing. Normally, they would come from Ciri, so he wakes her, hold her and tell her that everything is fine, she is safe and in the good days she would sleep without anymore nightmare. At least for that night.

However, when Geralt wakes up and sees where the sound is coming from, he is surprised. It’s not from Ciri, but Jaskier. For some seconds, he stays paralyzed watching Jaskier’s face getting more agonized until Geralt had enough. He saw this expression only once in Jaskier, back at mountain, when he had been too angry so he could ignore. He couldn’t that now. He gets up and touches Jaskier’ shoulders, shaking them slightly, but only got more fussing. Geralt tries harder and suddenly Jaskier wakes up, looking at Geralt with surprised eyes.

“Geralt…” his voice is a whisper, but his hug is strong. Yes, Jaskier is hugging him. Geralt slowly responds, putting his arms around him.

They stay like that for long minutes. The witcher smoothly over him, feeling his breath calm down and the scent of fear fading away. He makes a note of that, he never smells this type of fear from Jaskier before.

When the bard breaks the embrace, tears are dropping in his face. He wipes them with his own hands, trying to recompose himself. Geralt sits on the bed where Jaskier is, looking at him. It’s dark, the only light is from the moon, but he can see him just fine, but kind wish he didn’t. He _dislikes_ what he sees. There are two beds, one for Ciri and another for Jaskier, Geralt were on the floor with some blankets between these two. After some time in silence, the bard speaks again.

“I’m sorry…” He is not sure why he is apologizing, he should, right?

“It’s fine.” Geralt doesn’t understand either. Why he would apologize? He didn’t do anything wrong, it’s just a hug, but he’s not sure the bard listened. His eyes are trembling and distant, his hands moving the blankets nervously. Geralt puts his hand a top of the bard’s. “Jaskier.” He calls him and this time Jaskier is listening. “It’s fine. Everything is fine.” The bard doesn’t answer, only nodding.

And that’s how the witcher knows is bad. _Really bad_.

He thinks for a moment what to do. He could go back to floor, try to sleep a little more, but he doubts Jaskier could do the same. They’ll face a long trip tomorrow; he needs rest so he could keep up with them. The hug seems help, Jaskier’s heartbeat slow down little by little when they were tangled. So, Geralt decides.

“Move over.” Jaskier stays in silent, only looking with confused eyes. “Move. Over.” He does. Then, Geralt lays down, pulling Jaskier with him. The bard stays silent. It’s so unusual and Geralt dislikes very much. It’s not a big bed, so they have stay close, _very close_. Geralt hugs Jaskier from behind and whispers. “Sleep.” It takes time for Jaskier getting used by the idea of having Geralt spooning him. The witcher can hear his heartbeat accelerates before calm down again, but soon he is fast asleep. With no more nightmares.

In the morning, Geralt is wakes before Jaskier, analyzing his options. He could be on the bed waiting for him wakes up, but… Did the bard would want that? He would like to be reminder of his nightmare? Probably not. So, Geralt decides to get up and go back to his floor, wake them like nothing happened.

_It’s just one nightmare._

It wasn’t.

The second time that happens, things changed.

He hears the sounds, but there is one more. Crying. Jaskier is crying in his sleep. It’s not an ugly cry with sobs, or a fake crying he does because a performance, or a drama thing. No, it’s almost silent, with small tears, rolling over an expression he had seen before. Twice. Fuck. He feels his chest constrict like his intern organs are suddenly too big for him, making his heart miss a beat. Geralt also dislikes this sensation very much, so he goes to bard’s bed, not wasting time thinking what to do. It worked before it will work know. Careful, he enters in Jaskier’ space, embracing him softly, one arm in his back and another in his head, pulling him close. He feels the bard waking up, but he doesn’t shove him away, quite the opposite.

"Shhh… It’s okay. You’re okay.” Jaskier looks at him and Geralt can see his eyes. The blues eyes are so lost, so _hurt_. He wants to curse. “Everything is fine.” He says instead. Again, the bard only nods and rest his head on Geralt’s chest, breathing more calmly.

_It’s just another nightmare._

Geralt is wrong again.

It happens a third, a fourth, fifth and sixth.

In the seventh, Geralt wakes up with the sound of the lute.

It’s very low and he has difficult time in getting up, not only because of his tiredness, but also the melody is so… recomforting. It’s a lullaby, the ones that Jaskier plays for Ciri when she is having a nightmare, he plays without having her waking up, it works like magic. Geralt sits, blinking rapidly to make his sleepiness go away. It does when he looks at bard.

Jaskier is humming, but everything about him is wrong.

His hands are shaking despite not missing a chord.

His eyes are trembling. Dozing off.

His face is with that expression again.

Fuck. _Fuck_.

He only notices Geralt is wake after some time. He didn’t seem to notice Ciri is already sleeping. He stops playing, pulling the lute down, but he didn’t get up from the chair, only looking at Geralt, trying to figure out something that the Witcher doesn’t know. And Geralt is tired of that, of not knowing.

With nightmares, part of Jaskier’s flame died. He covers up just fine, but Geralt is good reading between the lines. This thing is slowly draining Jaskier, like a goddamn bloedzuiger sucking blood. It’s tormenting him, make him quiet and Geralt can fucking believe he doesn’t dislike… He fucking _hates it_. Geralt wants kill it, destroy it, but doesn’t know how. It’s not a monster, not a curse, or a potion that gone wrong, he can’t name it, so he can’t defeat it and right now, looking at bard so… fucked up, he would give everything to know.

He would because Jaskier doesn’t deserve this.

He is supposed to be the happy one with a sensitive soul, the only shine enough in this world of shit. He doesn’t deserve be sallow by it.

That is why Geralt gets up, sit on the bed where Jaskier had been and pets it, inviting the bard to come over. He sighs, but follows his lead. The moment Jaskier sits, Geralt put his hand on his face, cupping gently.

“Another?” Jaskier gives in the touch closing his eyes, he nods. “What is it, Jaskier?” The blues are calmer when they are open.

“It’s nothing…” Geralt wants to shake this bard so badly. _How he could say that?_

“It’s not. It’s…” ~~_killing you, Jaskier._~~ “You keep having it.” Geralt says instead.

"It will go away…” Geralt takes his hand away, looking deep in this ocean in front of him.

“Say it.” He is trying to find truth in those waters. He does that only thing that is rest to do it. “ _Please_.” He pleaded, soon he can’t see the ocean anymore, Jaskier is looking down, sighing.

It’s about you.” A pause. _Him?_ “Leaving me.” Geralt process the information while Jaskier continues. “It’s not about you leaving me wounded, or something like that. It’s… Waking up and finding out that you are gone, I can’t track you and we never meet again. Or we meet, but you ignore me… Sometimes, you don’t even recognize me.” Geralt looks at bard, he seems even more small with his head between his hands.

“Why?” It’s the only thing Geralt thinks.

Why Geralt leaving him would terrorizing him so much? Jaskier looks at him.

“Don’t make me say it.”

He is in the ocean again.

Searching.

Searching.

Until he finds it.

It’s not that hard. It’s just… Geralt realizes he had been blinded himself to not see. Not exactly in purpose, but it’s not accidently. He is doing this for his feeling quite long, it doesn’t surprise him he is doing with Jaskier. He left him saying – _no, yelling_ – it would a blessing take him out his hands, he didn’t search for Jaskier either, to try to fix. The Destiny brought them together again, but Geralt didn’t do his part. Actually, he thought he did by saying nothing – he used his words before, the only thing he got was Jaskier leaving – making Jaskier does all the job of introduce himself in Geralt’s life just like before. Realizing that’s how he tricked himself, he thought it was just like before. Before the mountain.

_It wasn’t_.

Jaskier couldn’t do all this work without cripple himself somehow, pretending that the Witcher’s words hadn’t hurt him, broken his heart. And not only that, but his silence was killing Jaskier. Geralt was putting the bard’s flame out because he said nothing. Not a sorry, or a stay. Anything, anything that would assure those words didn’t meant it, it was said in angry with himself, not at bard. Never at Jaskier, not that way.

He should say.

Is too late?

~~_At least, try._ ~~

Geralt kisses him instead.

A man of action, not words.

But he needs them.

~~_Heneedsthebard._ ~~

He is facing the ocean again.

It’s afraid, afraid with his true out there.

Actions wouldn’t be enough.

Geralt kisses his temple, resting their forehead together.

“I’m not leaving you, Jaskier.” He kisses him again, softly. “I promise you.”

Jaskier believes.

_At least for that night_.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope y'all enjoyed even it is an angst. Sorry, it's the only thing I can write well enough to post! And until Geralt says sorry he will be suffering in my hands. How he dares to hurt my precious baby??  
> I will be writing more about them soon, I'm so in love with their relationship I can't help.


End file.
